Tuesday, February 2, 2010

The Scars of Righteous Battle

I have several scars on my body. I guess after 35 (almost 36) years of life, I've amassed some dings and divots in the skin and on the spirit so I was intrigued by an idea presented to me a few weeks back regarding these marks on all of us. The idea is that we can be reminded of the lessons we've learned from the scars we amass from righteous battle.

No, I'm not talking about wielding a sword and marching onto the field but other, simpler things. I am happy to look at my skin and see the evidence of mother hood, to see the remnants of experiences with friends and to be reminded of physical weaknesses or dangers that had to be removed. No, I wouldn't go around sharing these imperfections with the general public and no, I wouldn't ask to see the blemishes concealed on the bodies of my friends. But the idea that certain scars can remind us of what we know is comforting in a way.

I cannot help but be reminded of the scars of our savior, who after His resurrection, retained the scars from the event that ultimately took His life. Those marks serve to remind us of the importance of obedience, the necessity of faith and the desire for eternal exaltation.

I know that there are some scars that are too painful to recall or examine closely, more often that not I would guess that those scars are etched on the souls housed in the mortal shell God gave us. Each of us bear marks on us that incite many emotions and can be found within and without. I would challenge each of us to look at what we may consider imperfections with a new eye. What do the marks we bear teach us and what have we learned from the experiences that have etched their occasion onto the very medium that will take us through life?

2 comments:

Sermons of the Day said...

I was thinking of not such nice things about my body the other day. I don't know when I will be able to look at myself and relize all the good.

Lisa R.D. said...

I loved this post... I actually have thought of this before... when I think of the Savior appearing in the Americas in his resurrected, perfected form, He still has the marks of his sacrifice. The marks are a symbol of the process that had to take place in order to make Him perfect... I like to think that some of our battle wounds help us in our process to perfection as well. Thankms for your thoughts.